• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
    • True You
    • Katharina and Martin Luther
    • 50 Women Every Christian Should Know
    • Spiritual Misfit
  • Blog
  • On My Bookshelves
  • Contact
  • Privacy & Disclosure Policy

Michelle DeRusha

Every Day Faith. Faith Every Day.

August 23, 2013 By Michelle

The Art of Doing Small Things with Great Love

I settle in, cinch the seat belt across my lap and, with one foot, push my carry-on farther under the seat in front of me. It’s only when I go to power-down my phone that I see I have a text message. And I know, even without looking, who it’s from.

Whether I’m traveling for two days or two weeks, Deidra always sends me a text the morning I depart. It’s a simple message – a wish for safe travels and a good trip. But she always remembers. It’s just one small thing, a few words on my cell phone, but it makes me smile every time. Her text reminds me that I am loved and remembered, that we are connected, she and I.

“Remind me to buy a birthday card for Mary Ann when we’re at CVS,” my mom says as we walk side-by-side past the farm stand and the rows of corn and cabbage along the country road. “No one sends cards anymore, you know,” I tell her. “Well I like them, so I send them,” she replies.

It’s true. My mom never misses a birthday or an anniversary. If you’re in my mom’s address book, you’ll get a card. She single-handedly keeps Hallmark in business. A couple months ago when my dad was in the hospital, my mom forgot to send a birthday card to my Aunt Marie. A week later, Aunt Marie called, wondering what had happened. “Where’s my card? You never forget to send a card!” she told my mom on the phone.

My friend Andrea bakes and cooks – muffins, casseroles, soups, bread, cookies. If you have a baby or a medical procedure, are suffering through the loss of a loved one or a difficult time, it won’t be long before Andrea rings your doorbell, comfort food in hand. My husband Brad’s that way, too. When our neighbor’s Maggie and Mike had a baby, I mused aloud that we should make them a meal. Two hours later, Brad was whipping up a pan of enchiladas in the kitchen.

“No one can do great things,” Mother Teresa once said, “but each of us can do small things with great love.”

Deidra’s texts, my mom’s cards and Andrea’s and Brad’s casseroles remind me just how important these small gestures are. These small acts tell us that we are not alone. That we are remembered, cherished, valued and adored.  They may be small gestures, true, but they communicate a great and powerful sentiment: love.

Tell me: What’s one small thing you regularly do with great love? 

And the winner of the book Wounded Women of the Bible is: Joanne Palm!!!! Rowan picked your name from the Tupperware bowl!! Joanne, please email me your mailing address and I’ll have the book sent directly to you from Amazon. My email: [email protected]

Will We Merely Satisfy ... or Will We Sacrifice?
Hear It on Sunday, Use It on Monday: When You Fear You've Flunked the First Commandment

Filed Under: giving, love, small moments Tagged With: doing small things with great love, Mother Teresa

Primary Sidebar

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Triple Type A, “make it happen” (my dad’s favorite mantra) striver and achiever (I’m a 3 on the Enneagram, which tells you everything you need to know), but these days my striving looks more like sitting in silence on a park bench, my dog at my feet, as I slowly learn to let go of the false selves that have formed my identity for decades and lean toward uncovering who God created me to be.

Read Full Bio

Available Now — My New Book!

Blog Post Archives

Footer

Copyright © 2023 Michelle DeRusha · Site by The Willingham Enterprise· Log in